Twenty years ago, I was captivated by a certain plumeria. Not sure what initiated my love for white flowers with pink edges, but love them I do, and I wanted one. We found white, red, even a red and yellow version in the local shops, but this white with pink edges and a kiss of yellow was nowhere to be found. We tried the local garden centre where we found a dwarf version, and while I settled for that, its narrow and spread petals weren’t quite what I expected.
In a much-delayed fit of wisdom, I thought maybe we could find it online. Couldn’t find it Stateside, but I finally found one on eBay in Asia. Months later it arrived, and I’ve cared for it lovingly over the last three to four years as it grew. SLOWLY. I spotted its first bloom stem a few weeks ago, and the first flower finally blossomed. Lovely.
I might have hurried this process along if I’d known then what I know now, but I didn’t, so I couldn’t.
Hurry Up to Wait
Sometimes we really, really want things to hurry along, particularly with our weight goals. Either we can’t lose as fast as we would like, or we get off track and find it hard to get back on, or we are doing everything right, and it’s just not producing sustainable results. We may change a few things up, but if it’s not moving fast enough, well, I know I’ve abandoned such projects. How about you? It’s not working, so why would I continue?
Because we still want the result.
I know the long road is frustrating, and we do get discouraged, but pursuing it is the path to results. What about quitting will move you forward?
It’s blindingly obvious, and yet we often just give up rather than doing whatever we can to make it happen.
Make It Happen With Patience
Today, right now, what can you do to move you toward your goal?
Maybe you need to take a breath and be patient with your body.
Do you need to stop beating yourself up for straying from your plan and simply get back on the plan? Beating ourselves up tends to push us toward a need for soothing, which drives us to food again, and so the cycle continues.
Do you need to clean up your food choices?
Or simply start again?
You might have hurried this process along had you known before what you know now, but you didn’t yet know. Take a deep breath. You don’t fail until you give up. Loving care and believing for your best will bring your goals to flower in good time—and it will be lovely.
Renée Jones is a counselor and coach specializing in overcoming emotional eating. After 40 years on the Diet Yo-Yo, she struggled to find what worked for her while emotional eating sabotaged every attempt. When she finally overcame that emotional eating to lose her weight, maintenance on a low-fat diet left her tired, hungry, and cranky. In April of 2015, she found the ketogenic lifestyle and later Carrie Brown’s recipes, which freed her from the Diet Yo-Yo and dark mood swings.
Now she helps others get free of their emotional eating and other baggage so their hearts can heal along with their bodies. She has a Master’s degree in Counseling with certifications in both traditional and contemporary models as well as Horse-Assisted and relaxation methods. She has an international counseling and coaching practice.
Author of What’s Really Eating You: Overcome the Triggers of Comfort Eating
Connect with Renée!
www.packyourownbag.com
